All the Presidents' dogs in words and pictures

For an all-American President, dogs have almost always been a vital family members, linking them to family values and compassion.

There have been just three exceptions; James K Polk, the 11th US President in office, Andrew Johnson, who was No17 and Donald Trump, the 45th to take the post, did not have any presidential pets while in office.

But today's President, Joe Biden is known for his love of dogs and in particular, German Shepherds.

In December 2021, President Biden introduced the newest member of his family, a purebred German shepherd puppy named Commander to the White House.

As Commander arrived, the family's other German shepherd, Major, the first Presidential rescue dog, left 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue following a biting incident and was taken to live in a "quieter environment with friends".

Earlier that same year, the Biden's 13-year-old German Shepard, Champ, had passed away with Mr Biden announcing his loss on social media.

We list the US Presidents who have had dogs in their lives at the White House.

Joe Biden:

US President Joe Biden and US First Lady Jill Biden, with the dog Commander as a pup on the settee in the White House. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

• Champ: German Shepherd Dog
• Major : German Shepherd Dog
• Commander : German Shepherd Dog

Barack Obama:

US President Barack Obama sits with his dog Bo and reads a book to children during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House tennis court April 1, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

• Bo: Portuguese water Dog
• Sunny: Portuguese Water Dog

George W. Bush:

George Bush with Scotties Barney and Miss Beazley (The White House)

• Barney: Scottish Terrier
• Spot: Springer Spaniel
• Miss Beazley: Scottish Terrier

Bill Clinton:

President William Jefferson Clinton posing with Buddy the Dog outside of the White House, April 6, 1999. Image courtesy National Archives. (Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images). (National Archives. (Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

• Buddy : Labrador Retriever

George H.W. Bush:

• Millie : Springer Spaniel
• Ranger : Springer Spaniel

Ronald Reagan:

Then Presidential hopeful Ronald Reagan petting his three dogs while kneeling in grass as wife Nancy looks on outside. (Dirck Halstead/Getty Images)

• Lucky : Bouvier de Flandres
• Rex: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Jimmy Carter:

Jimmy Carter who became the 39th president of the US, pictured with his dog behind on his peanut farm in Plains, Georgia, 1970. (Archive Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

• Grits: Mixed breed

Gerald Ford:

Gerald Ford plays with one of his Golden Retrievers July 1976 in the USA. (Jim Pozarik/Liaison)

• Liberty: Golden Retriever

Richard Nixon:

The then Senator Richard Nixon, Republican Vice Presidential candidate, relaxing with Checkers the cocker spaniel he mentioned on his nationwide TV and radio explanation of his expense fund. (Getty archive)

• Checkers : Cocker Spaniel
• Vicky : Poodle
• Pasha : Terrier
• King Timahoe : Irish Setter

Lyndon B. Johnson:

President Johnson prepared to sign the meat inspection bill at the White House with his dog Yuki at the desk. (Getty)

• Beagle : Beagle
• Little Beagle :Beagle
• Him :Beagle
• Her :Beagle
• Blanco :Collie
• Yuki : mixed breed

John F. Kennedy:

Pushinka (The White House)

Pushinka which means Fluffy in Russian, was the dog given by the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy in 1961. Pushinka was the daughter of Strelka, who had travelled into space aboard Korabl-Sputnik 2.

• Charlie : Welsh Terrier
• Pushinka : Mixed breed
• Shannon : Cocker Spaniel
• Wolf : Irish Wolfhound
• Clipper : German Shepherd
• Butterfly : Mixed breed
• White Tips Mixed breed
• Blackie : Mixed breed
• Streaker: Mixed breed

US President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy pose with their family including the dogs on Christmas Day at the White House, Washington, DC December 25, 1962. (Getty)

Dwight D. Eisenhower:

• Heidi : Weimaraner

Harry Truman:

Truman was known to not be much of an animal lover, and the Truman family was never known for keeping pets. Regardless, near the end of his first term, a fan from his home state of Missouri sent him a pet cocker spaniel puppy named Feller.

• Mike : red Setter
• Feller : Cocker Spaniel

Franklin D Roosevelt:

Franklin Delano Roosevelt pets his dog while reading beside the fireplace. (Getty)

• Major: German Shepherd
• Meggie: Scottish Terrier
• Winks: Llewellyn Setter
• Tiny : Old English Sheepdog
• President: Great Dane
• Fala : Scottish Terrier
• Manchu : Pekingese
• Blaze: Mastiff

Herbert Hoover:

• King Tut : unknown breed
• Pat : unknown breed
• Big Ben : Fox Terrier
• Sonnie: Fox Terrier
• Glen: Border Collie
• Yukon : American Eskimo Dog
• Patrick : Irish Wolfhound
• Eaglehurst Gillette : Red Setter
• Weejie : Elkhound

Calvin Coolidge:

American politician Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), President of the United States, with his dog, a white collie called Rob Roy (1922-1928) in the grounds of the White House in Washington DC, November 1928. (Photo by Henry Miller News Picture Service/FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images) (Henry Miller News Picture Service/FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

President Calvin Coolidge owned many dogs, some of them listed below. He also rehomed two raccoons, a donkey, a bobcat, lion cubs, a Pygmy hippopotamus, a wallaby, a duiker antelope, a black bear and 13 Pekin ducks.

• Peter Pan : Terrier
• Paul Pry :Airedale Terrier
• Rob Roy: Collie
• Calamity Jane: Shetland Sheepdog
• Tiny Tim : Chow Chow
• Blackberry : Chow Chow
• Ruby Rough : Collie:
• Boston Beans :Bulldog
• King Kole :unknown breed
• Bessie : Border Collie
• Palo Alto : Bird Dog

Warren Harding:

• Laddie Boy : Airedale Terrier
• Old Boy English Bulldog

Theodore Roosevelt:

American statesman and politician Theodore Roosevelt (1858 – 1919), 26th President of the United States, with his dogs at a farm, US, 1905. (Photo by Frederic Lewis/Archive Photos/Getty Images) (Frederic Lewis/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

The Roosevelts were major dog lovers with about 30 dogs in their family over the years Among their many canines were Sailor Boy the Chesapeake retriever, Jack the terrier, Skip the mongrel, and Pete, a Bull Terrier was exiled to the Roosevelt home in Long Island for inappropriate biting.

• Pete : English Bull Terrier
• Sailor Boy : Chesapeake Retriever
• Jack : Terrier
• Skip : Mixed breed
• Manchu : Pekingese

James Garfield:

• Veto : unknown breed

Rutherford Hayes:

• Hector : German Shepherd
• Nellie : German Shepherd
• Duke : English Mastiff

Ulysses Grant:

• Faithful : Newfoundland

James Buchanan:

• Lara : Newfoundland

John Tyler:

• Le Beau: Greyhound

John Adams:

• Juno : unknown breed
• Satan :unknown breed

George Washington:

George Washington is widely known as the father of the American foxhound with a love for all dogs from working dogs to lap dogs - but hunting and hunting hounds were his passion. To create a new breed of hound, he spent several years crossbreeding his English hounds with his French hounds, leading to the American foxhound. Other dogs Washington owned included Dalmatians, Spaniels, Terriers, Sheepdogs and Newfoundlands.

• Drunkard
• Mopsey
• Taster
• Cloe
• Tipsy
• Tipler
• Forester
• Captain
• Lady Rover
• Vulcan
• Sweetlips
• Searcher

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